It's been such a long time since I've spoken about Pokemon, now hasn't it? And that's been because I've actually been in a holding pattern with my playthrough of Sword and Shield until the new DLC launches and my journeys can resume. Afterall I did the thing, I caught them all, they only thing I hadn't achieved was the coveted acquisition of every single Gigantamax form Pokemon, but that's no biggie. It's not like I've developed a resounding complex over the sheer number of times that I have tried, and failed, to catch Gigantamax Sandaconda. (That'd just be silly. And petty.) That pattern is about to break, however, because in a few short weeks the first ever Pokemon DLC will land and usher some long lost mons to the land of Galar. (And I am so here for it.)
Now, one might react something along the lines of "You're doing a blog about freakin' Pokemon? Really?" but this is my blog and nobody reads it anyway; I'll do what I want! In truth, there's just so much chaos going on right now, both in the real world and that of gaming, that I want something wholly wholesome and removed to keep me sane. Is that so much to ask? Is it so weird to just want something playful and comforting to keep out the dark thoughts?! I don't need a psychiatrist- YOU DO! But with that all said and done, how about we look at that new expansion pass trailer that Nintendo dropped the other day, eh?
The trailer started off with a customary look at the one Pokemon who has, inexplicably, become the face of this impending DLC storm, and that's Galarian Slowpoke. (Or, to be more accurate, on of his evolutions; Slowbro) This is because he was the first 'new' Pokemon to be added to the game after launch in the teaser episode for the Isle of Armor, and as such this Slowpoke has connections to both of the impending DLCs. Both chunks of content will open a potential evolution path for Galarian Slowpoke and thus it makes sense for Gamefreak to show off Galarian Slowbro today and leave the reveal of Galarian Slowking to a reveal before The Crown Tundra in the fall. This particular iteration of Slowbro is actually somewhat unique to earlier Slowbro's as he wears his shell on his arm rather than his tail. This mega-man-esque attachment is thus used to channel his Galarian specific poison abilities, a unique twist on an old favourite Pokemon. Of course, with this sort of lead in you'd be forgiven for thinking this trailer would thus focus on other features coming in the impending release of The Isle of Armor, but Gamefreak know how to keep people hooked and there's an abundance of details on the Tundra too. (Damn you for making me hope, Gamefreak!)
One of the big selling points of these DLCs is the fact that they will herald in the return of up to 200 Pokemon in their wake, something that's also been the source of ridicule from some folk. (Although the most vocal detractors of this practice are usually those with an innate lack of understanding for how Pokemon games usually work.) In order to paint this draw in the best possible light, Gamefreak decided to focus more on unique features in this trailer whilst peppering in montages of returning Pokemon, and let me just say now that I'm currently liking the 200 they've picked. In the trailer we get to see Absol, (finally!) Kingdra, Eexggutor, Lycanroc and so many others that I plain cannot place off the top of my head. (Try to remember that my last Pokemon game was 2004's Emerald, I'm a bit rusty)
A lot of the trailer is comprised of quick flash-shots of features that are better explained in press releases. One such one being a mechanical Cramorant which is apparently known as a 'Cram-O-matic'. This is essentially just a way of mulching useless items into potentially useful rare items, so your usual looter-game affair, although I hope there's an influx of rare items being added in order to make this worthwhile. (I've already grinded the artefact store to the point where I have every item I could currently want.) Perhaps more sustainably experience-changing is something else we get a glimpse of in this trailer; a dinner table sporting the ominous red swirls of Gigantamax. What could it mean? Well apparently it's a meal which the player can partake which will- grant the present Pokemon it's Gigantamax forms? Nani! So you're telling me that those incredibly uber-rare shiny Gigantamax Pokemon that people have been lording about with for the past forever are about to become entirely obsolete? Good, I'm sick of watching people play show-and-tell during den matches. I know a lot of people are going to whine about 'ruined meta' for this one but I'm personally celebrating. (Besides, we have no idea just how readily available this meal will be. Gathering it might be an endgame all on it's own.)
The rest is much of what we've already seen or know about the Isle of Armor. Players will be granted the adorable teddy-bear legendary Pokemon known as Kubfu and will be expected to raise it throughout the duration of the DLC's mini-campaign. At the end the Pokemon will evolve into a unique form of Urshifu depending on the battle tower that you decided to train it through, symbolising the player's growth into a trained Pokemaster. (Although seeing as how I've already saved the world twice in this game, Sensei Mustard, perhaps you can cut me some slack and give me that black belt off the bat? No? Okay.) We also known there will be some form of Pokeball crafting in these DLCs and the implication is that it will also accompany the Isle of Armor, but it seemed entirely absent from this trailer (or I just saw it and didn't know) so it's hard to know if that's still a thing. (I hope so, though. There's nothing more gratifying than capturing a Pokemon in an inherently unsuited Pokeball like a dick. Actually, don't tell PETA that I said that.)
More details lie in The Crown Tundra section of the trailer which teases the content that's still a few months off. For one we get to see Absol (Goddammit! Guess he's not as imminent as I though..) but we also see a whole slew of new creatures, Pokemon and even regional legendary variants which I'm sure has never been done before. This trailer shows off the Den exploration areas and the expansive overworld exploration, as well as a new tournament mode for two-on-two AI battles that promises to be a curious shake-up. Dark type Moltres steals the show for me here, but that doesn't mean I didn't spy that split second shot of Groudon that the team teased. (That brings me one step closer to my Rayquaza)
Say as you can likely deduce if you took the plunge to read this all, the trailer was pure fan service and that made folk like me eat it up like nobodies business. I do still some few reservations about how much content this DLC will actually hold, essentially as it seems everyday Gamefreak keep announcing new features to their second pack, (Making it seem like The Isle of Armor is going to be almost bare) but I'm hear the literally any excuse to jump back into the world of Anime animal enslavement. (REALLY don't tell PETA I said THAT.) But I can talk about things from the trailer I noticed all day, but there's no point when the DLC itself is dropping in a literal couple of weeks. (Finally, something to look forward to in this crappy year.)
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